With the increasing costs of energy, means and methods for harvesting energy from abundant sources, such as radiant energy from the sun or other sources, have become significant as potential ways of providing electrical power for lighting and other uses. Such other uses include, for example, the powering of hot water heaters, radios, and emergency communications equipment, for example, in vehicles. Specific needs for such radiant-energy-gathering devices include those wherein a garden umbrella, which is typically used for shade during daylight hours, is provided with solar light gathering means for gathering sunlight during daylight hours,
Devices according to the invention, such as solar-powered lighting assemblies, comprise two main components that operatively communicate with one another through, or across, a membrane. In the context of the invention, a membrane is any thin material. In one aspect, the thin material can be fabric or flexibly fabric-like, such as the natural or synthetic fabric of a patio umbrella or tarp, the natural or synthetic fabric of the roof or wall of a tent, or the natural or synthetic fabric of a vehicle convertible roof. In another aspect, the thin material can be more rigid, such as thin wood or the metallic roof of a vehicle so long as an aperture, conduit, inductive bridge, or other means for permitting operative communication between the two main components is provided.
Within the scope of the concept of the invention, many embodiments of the invention can be comprehended. Key elements may include at least one circuit board, switching means, one or more rechargeable batteries, or one or more fuel cells, capacitive storage devices, or the like, housing structures for housing various elements of the invention such as the circuit boards and batteries, one or more magnets, such as rare earth magnets, employable for operatively juxtaposing the two main (housing) components of the invention with respect to one another, and one or a plurality of electrically conductive pins for transmitting electricity from a means for converting radiant energy to electricity, such as a solar cell, to a source of light of a desired frequency range, such as an LED. In some preferred embodiments, the light source, such as an LED bulb, can be enclosed in a translucent, transparent or reflective fixture which is connected by means of a thin electrically conductive cable to, for example, a circuit board in one or both of the plastic housings. The conductive cable may serve also to suspend a lighting fixture from a lower main housing structure of the invention to provide desired light dispersion or delivery. Alternately the light source can be covered by a translucent or transparent lens.
In general, the main outer, or upper, component comprises means for converting radiant energy, such as solar energy, to electricity. One means of converting solar energy to electricity is at least one solar panel which is preferably operatively connected to a light sensor, which is in turn operatively connected to a plurality of pins, which provide operative connections to corresponding sockets in the lower component and in turn provide one or more means for storing the electrical energy, such as one or more rechargeable batteries.
The outer (upper) main component, is held in place in close proximity to the inner (lower) main component by any means adaptable to the specific use of the embodiment, for example, by a rare earth magnet or by screws where a more permanent installation is desired. The device may be constructed and arranged so that one of the main components can be positioned partially surrounding one of the struts of the umbrella and the other main component is on the corresponding outer position of that strut. Such positioning ensures that the solar panel is not covered by the folds of umbrella fabric when the umbrella is closed. A light sensor can be adapted and arranged to ensure that the lamp only comes on when it is dark. Advantageously, a tilt switch may be provided and positioned so that the lamp will turn off when the umbrella is lowered and turn on when the umbrella is erect. A three position switch can be used to override the tilt switch allowing the LED bulb to be on, off, or auto (tilt switch enabled).
A transparent, translucent or reflective fixture, which houses the LED bulb, may hang from a short cable and is small enough to allow the umbrella to be completely closed without obstruction. Since the two main components may attach through the fabric membrane of the umbrella, there are no exposed cables to be tangled when raising and lowering the umbrella. The solar panel may thus continue to charge the batteries whether the umbrella is raised or lowered. It is therefore clear that the elements of the invention can be combined in numerous ways to provide a plethora of combinations and embodiments. It is also clear that there is a need for devices and methods for effectuating the efficient gathering and usage of radiant energy, such as solar energy